Is the Catholic Church against freezing human eggs to be used at a later date?

Answer by Judie Brown on 9/22/2017:

Dear Debra

I will quote the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith so that you see why the Church
AGAINST this practice:

"Embryos produced in vitro which have defects are directly discarded. Cases are becoming
ever more prevalent in which couples who have no fertility problems are using artificial
means of procreation in order to engage in genetic selection of their offspring. In many
countries, it is now common to stimulate ovulation so as to obtain a large number of oocytes
which are then fertilized. Of these, some are transferred into the woman’s uterus, while the
others are frozen for future use. The reason for multiple transfer is to increase the probability
that at least one embryo will implant in the uterus. In this technique, therefore, the number of
embryos transferred is greater than the single child desired, in the expectation that some
embryos will be lost and multiple pregnancy may not occur. In this way, the practice of
multiple embryo transfer implies a purely utilitarian treatment of embryos. One is struck by
the fact that, in any other area of medicine, ordinary professional ethics and the healthcare
authorities themselves would never allow a medical procedure which involved such a high
number of failures and fatalities. In fact, techniques of in vitro fertilization are accepted
based on the presupposition that the individual embryo is not deserving of full respect in the
presence of the competing desire for offspring which must be satisfied."

To read the entire document on this topic, please see
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_2008
1208_dignitas-personae_en.html